Love in Red Dust - Chapter 7
Chapter 7
It is not that foolish people are truly beyond understanding, but rather that those who understand choose to play the fool. Both the Empress Dowager and the Empress were sensitive to the mood, and once they saw there was no hope for their suggestions, they simply fell silent.
Regardless of whether one was in the palace or the Changchun Garden, whenever a banquet was held, it could not conclude before the hour of the boar (10:00 PM). Everyone strained themselves to keep up the facade, and by the time it was nearly over, the Retired Emperor was exhausted. He let out word: "Everyone return. Go back and get a good rest; do not let your duties for tomorrow be neglected." He was of an age where he cared about state affairs, yet his words had lost their sharp edges. He seemed to have grown detached from political power, caring more for the descendants before him.
The group accepted the order and took their leave, offering their bows and curtsies in orderly fashion. They exited the garden just as they had entered. The eunuchs leading the way carried "death-defying" lanterns to illuminate the path. There were many waterways and embankments in the garden, and since the gentlemen had drunk quite a bit, if one were to stumble in the darkness and roll into a canal, it would be a terrible affair.
When they arrived at the Hall of Nine Classics, everyone was amused. The Eleventh Prince was standing in the hall with his secondary consort, acting out his penance. His head hung low and his face was drawn, looking for all the world like a wilted cucumber.
The Third Prince laughed, "It’s not that I want to lecture you, but you didn't choose your day well. Everyone was here today, and the Old Master waited a full hour for you." He shook his head as he spoke. "You, you shouldn't be raising birds; you should apprentice as a jade carver. With a water dropper in one hand and a file in the other, you could spend half a day obsessing over a single groove on a petal. Such a slow temperament—you’ve refined slowness into a craft; it’s a waste not to open a jade workshop."
Everyone else was full of food and wine, yet the Eleventh Prince was still starving! He did not argue, but simply asked the peony flowers (a poetic way to refer to the attendants), "Are there any snacks? Bring some over to fill the gaps. I’ve been hungry for ages; even in the prison cells, they provide a meal!"
Hongce watched from the side, said nothing, and exited the Great Palace Gate with Guan Zhaojing.
Once he was in the carriage, he finally relaxed, leaning against the cushioned carriage walls. The carriage pulled by the lead horse began to move. The main thoroughfares of the capital in the middle of the night were not as bustling with people as they were during the day. The bluestone road stretched forward, and under the great moon, the surface emitted a faint, ghostly blue glow. The wine had gone to his head, and in the corner of the carriage, a "sky full of stars" incense burner sat with a coil of incense burning, the curling smoke rising straight toward his head. He rolled up the bamboo screen to let in the cool wind, which helped him clear his mind.
The moonlight was bright and clear, making everything visible within dozens of paces. At this hour, logically, there should be no one walking about except for the night watchmen, but in a fleeting moment, he saw two people leading a dog out from a narrow alley. They flashed beneath the moonlight and disappeared again.
Continuing straight from Dengshikou Street, a turn led to Tongfu Alley. This alley was named after a general who had once lived there. Later, the general’s family fell from grace, and the area became a residential quarter for commoners. The imperial city was densely populated; having a small quadrangle courtyard was considered a decent living standard. As for those without money or status, they lived in crowded communal courtyards. Dingyi and her master lived in such a place.
The gate of the large courtyard creaked open. The two figures and the dog squeezed through the crack and headed straight for the west room.
Even in the middle of the night, their room was still awake. Over the past few days, there had been a fund-raising effort to pay respects to the gods at the temple. The temple was holding a ritual to feed the hungry ghosts, and one could not go empty-handed; one had to bring money, clothing, and offerings. Half the people living there worked in the yamen, dealing with murder and arson every day, so they were particularly devout. Old Master Wu had initiated it, and everyone chipped in to go to Miaofeng Mountain to join the pilgrimage in two days.
Everyone was gathered together pulling out money. Xia Zhi was a mischievous monkey; he couldn't help much, so he just made up the numbers. He couldn't keep his heart still, fanning himself constantly because of the heat. He swayed his head, glancing left and right, and when he looked out through the window, he was instantly captivated. Without a sound, he crouched low and slipped out. Dingyi was sitting by her master's side helping count the money; she caught a glimpse of Xia Zhi's small movements but didn't pay them much mind. A while later, he came back in, tugged on her sleeve, and whispered in a hushed voice, "There's something fun, want to go see?"
"What kind of fun? I'm busy!" The money had to be wrapped in red silk, each portion labeled with a name and set aside. It couldn't be mixed up; if it were, the Buddha wouldn't know whose merit it was, right?
Xia Zhi said evasively, "If you don't go, you'll regret it. Do you know what 'removing the hat' means? I’ll take you to see."
Dingyi was a bit conflicted. She wanted to go but couldn't put down her work. She checked her master's expression; he was surprisingly lenient, dropping his eyelids and saying, "Go, but don't cause any trouble." The two disciples quickly agreed and scurried out along the base of the wall.
"Removing the hat" was not literally taking a hat off one's head; it was jargon used by badger hunters. Commoners wanting to make money would think of any way possible—anything that flew in the sky or ran on the ground could be utilized. Catching badgers was a trade, but you couldn't rely on humans alone; two legs couldn't outrun four. You had to find a dog to help. There was no such thing as having too many good dogs, so they would scout them out during the day, pick out one belonging to someone else, and steal it at night. They didn't put it to work immediately; it had to be groomed first. Fearing that the dog's floppy ears would catch the wind and make noise while running, they had to cut off the top half to make them stand up. Then there was the tail—if it wagged like a whip, the end had to be chopped off. Only a dog with the right appearance was a qualified badger dog. This process of ear-cutting and tail-chopping was called "removing the hat."
The two of them moistened their fingers and poked a hole in the window paper to peek inside. The oil lamp in the room was dim, and they saw one person holding the dog's mouth shut while the other took a knife and cut. Once the cutting was done, they used a red-hot iron to cauterize the wound. The dog was in agony, but unable to cry out, it only drew heavy, shallow breaths.
Dingyi covered her own ears. "Ouch, that’s so painful. Those two are too heartless."
Xia Zhi said, "It’s not like they do this every day. Once it's healed, they can use it for years! Poor people have no choice; they have to find a way to eat. It’s not like the clansmen of the banners who have their monthly stipends from the Imperial Clan Court—they can just lie down and not go hungry."
Dingyi scratched her head. "Are there really that many badgers to catch??"
"Of course. In the watermelon fields, around the graveyards—there are badger dens everywhere. At this time of year, the males are out looking for females, running wild all night. A dog that has 'removed its hat' is fiercer than an ordinary dog; their eyes turn red, and they bite as soon as they reach their prey. You can catch four or five in a single night." Xia Zhi pulled her beneath a leaning tree to calculate. "Let’s do the math: there are buyers for the fur and the meat, and badger oil can treat burns. Even if we don't sell it to the pharmacy, we can set up a stall at Tianqiao without worry. Look at all this money. One badger can fetch at least three qian. If we go out for a night, we’ll earn more than carrying a blade." He kept nudging her with his shoulder as he spoke. "We can't be this single-minded forever. We're not young anymore, and our family savings are thin. We'll need money to take wives in the future. Money doesn't fall from the sky; we have to earn it ourselves. Catching badgers is so easy—no capital needed. Just a dog, two steel forks, and two back-baskets. Let’s try it. If we don't catch anything, we just treat it as playing outside for a night. If we do, that’s unexpected wealth. What a great deal."
Dingyi rolled her eyes at him. "You’re pathetic, always thinking about getting a wife!"
Xia Zhi scoffed. "You're not a girl. If you were a girl and married me, I wouldn't have to worry."
"Enough, enough, stop spouting nonsense." She waved her hand dismissively, but as she thought about it, she realized she really did need money. She needed travel expenses to go to Changbai Mountain, and the wet nurse’s husband would constantly come into the city to find her, complaining they couldn't afford to eat and demanding money. If she didn't give it to him? He’d threaten to expose her background! You are the son of Wen Lu—your father committed a capital crime—and you're posing as a good citizen working in the yamen? It was a "sink or swim" situation, so she had to pay him hush money to keep him from destroying her rice bowl. After all, being an executioner was a legitimate trade.
One penny can stump a hero; this was an opportunity. She just worried, where would they find a dog?
"Let's not steal. Let’s head to the bird market. Aren't there stalls selling dogs? We can just buy one."
Xia Zhi crossed his arms behind his back, his paper fan slapping against his spine with a rhythmic thwack. "Those sold there are dogs for nobles to play with—Pekingese, Chows, Tibetan Mastiffs... You want to buy one? They wouldn't even sell you for that price. Catching rabbits and badgers doesn't require a famous breed; just those common mongrels. Feed them a piece of meat and they’ll run across the world for you. They’re easy to raise and easy to handle."
"Must we steal?" She was still hesitant. "That’s not very good."
"If everyone steals, then it doesn't count as stealing. Besides, being able to steal one is your own skill." Xia Zhi comforted her. "A watchdog that loses even itself isn't valued by its owner anymore—that’s how stupid it is, right? Ask someone for a pup to raise anew, and in a few months, it will be ready to take over."
Dingyi couldn't beat him in an argument. Having spent so long in the market, who didn't have a few crafty thoughts to earn a few coins for a meal? Steal if they must—it was just this once, she promised herself, and she would never do it again.
The next day, after returning from their shift at the yamen, they first did the laundry. Once everything was washed and hung out to dry, Xia Zhi had finished cooking. The three master and disciples sat down to eat. The two disciples didn't even touch the vegetables; they just shoveled rice into their mouths as hard as they could. Wu Changgeng looked at them in wonder. "What’s the matter? Eat slowly, don't choke. Come, have some soup..."
They were too anxious to go out and find a dog; what time was there for soup?
"Master, when are you leaving for the pilgrimage?" Dingyi asked, stabilizing her voice. "The trip to Miaofeng Mountain takes four days. In such hot weather, where will you stay? And the food? How will you handle meals?"
Wu Changgeng picked up some vegetables, saw a shredded piece of meat, and moved it into her bowl. He said slowly, "I’ve requested a few days of leave; I'm leaving today. The carts are all prepared outside. We’ll leave before the gates close; it's cooler to travel at night. In the second half of the night, we’ll find a place to set up mats; staying anywhere is staying. As for food, there are people on the road giving away porridge and steamed buns. If you want to cool off, there’s even mung bean soup waiting for you!" He finished and pointed his chopsticks at the two of them. "I’m not here, so you two behave yourselves and don't cause trouble. Xia Zhi, you’re the senior brother—take good care of Little Tree and look after your duties. If anything goes wrong, I’m holding you responsible, understand?"
Being a master was no easy task. Both disciples had come to his side when they were barely ten; he had raised them since they were little, making him half a mother to them. Despite being a rough, uncouth man, he was incredibly meticulous when it counted. Not only meticulous, but he was also protective—if anyone dared provoke his disciples, he would risk his life for them. Dingyi and Xia Zhi sometimes found him nagging, but they held him dear in their hearts. They gave him endless reminders: "Don't worry about us; take care of yourself out there. Don't run around under the hot sun; it’s especially hot this year. If you get heatstroke on the pilgrimage, that would be terrible."
"I won't die." He set down his chopsticks, heard someone calling for him outside, took his straw hat off the wall and put it on, slung his muddy-yellow satchel over his shoulder, and walked out the door.
The two disciples saw him off to the gate and saw a magnificent sight: a line of flatbed carts connected end-to-end, with four mules tied to the front. The carts were filled with men, women, and children of all ages, all of whom yielded their seats to Wu Changgeng. He was the head of the pilgrimage group, sitting in the very front to issue orders. Once everyone was settled, the driver cracked his whip, a sharp "Giddy-up!" sounded, and the carts rolled out of Tongfu Alley.
With the "tightening spell" lifted, the two disciples were overjoyed. They hurriedly went back to tidy up, leaving the bowls soaking in the bucket without washing them. They took a coil of rope and tucked a piece of meat laced with knockout powder into their clothes. Taking advantage of the fact that it wasn't dark yet, they roamed the streets and alleys to scout for a good dog, ready to strike once night fell.
The Great Ying Dynasty was different from previous eras. Dynasties past all had curfews, but the Great Ying did not. Once the inner and outer city gates were bolted, as long as one did not leave the city, one could wander the inner corridors at will.
There were many temple fairs in the capital. In weather like this, no one dared to set up a stall under the blazing sun, so they all waited for the night to come out and earn a living. The area around Tianqiao and the Temple of the Sun were never idle; by evening, all sorts of people emerged, in groups and packs. There were wrestling arenas, vendors selling peanuts and mung bean milk, and others selling incense and birds... there was nothing you couldn't find, nothing you couldn't buy.
Dingyi followed Xia Zhi wandering outside, darting from one alley to the next. They heard dogs barking, but many households kept them leashed, and it was hard to make a move. As they walked, they grew tired, and the initial heat in their spirits dissipated. She said listlessly, "Senior Brother, let’s find a tea stall to rest our feet. We'll have a bowl of tea, listen to a bit of drum-ballad storytelling, and then go home."
Xia Zhi refused to believe it. "The meat will be rotten by tomorrow; we must feed it to a dog tonight."
Such stubbornness! There was no choice; she had to follow along. Looking here and there, they passed by the Temple of the Sun area, where the sound of ladles clashing against iron pots rang out incessantly. They endured and moved toward the fragrant meadows. Just as they turned a corner, they saw a dog squatting beside a stone pedestal outside a stir-fried liver shop. The dog was lean and thin, its four legs long and slender. It was hot, so it panted heavily, mouth open and tongue lolling out, drooling on one side while staring intently at people. She had never seen such a fierce-looking dog.
Dingyi was a bit scared. "What is that thing? A cousin of the Howling Celestial Dog?"
Xia Zhi, however, was exceptionally excited. "Hey, my luck is good! We found top-tier goods! This is a Slender Shandong Hound—an expert at catching rabbits. There's no leash on its neck; maybe it's a stray. We're in luck!" As soon as he finished speaking, he didn't wait to deliberate and threw the meat out. He found a place to hide, waiting only for the dog to lie down.